Ksitigarbha, the Protector of the Heavens, Land and People

[Narration]
Seonunsa Temple also has three seated statues of Ksitigarbha, as the protectors and saviors of every living creature in the world, namely “All Heavenly Beings”, “All Earthly Beings”, and “All Aquatic Beings”. In Buddhism, calling out his name can end all the suffering and help you attain Nirvana.

So most temples in Korea have a portrait of Ksitigarbha enshrined in the altar. But Seonunsa Temple is different from the rest, because it has a statue of Ksitigarbha enshrined instead of a portrait. Since 1472, Seonunsa Temple has been receiving special support from the Joseon Dynasty, and many Buddhists came to this place to pray to Ksitigarbha.

There are many strange stories about the seated statue of Ksitigarbha. One of the most well-known stories goes something like this: The statue was stolen and smuggled into Japan in 1936, only to be returned in just two years.

The reason being is that the holder of the statue dreamed about Ksitigarbha one night, and the bodhisattva told him, “I was originally in Korea, so have me returned to the country right now." He didn’t like the dream, so he gave the statue to someone else. But the new holder also saw the bodhisattva in his dream, and gave it to another person. This went on and on, and the last person to have possession of the statue reported to the Gochang Police Station. After the report came in, a priest from Seonunsa Temple and a number of police officers went to Japan and brought back the seated bodhisattva.

After the incident, the seated statue was designated as a National Treasure and placed in the Seongbo Museum at Seonunsa Temple.